Traveling-grate furnace



. 3 Shee ts I. H. RICHARDS.

TRAVELING GRATE FURNACE.

' No. 527,452. PatentedOot. 16, 1894.

Wzhn 688 as [12 Wanton:

No Model.)

it ess es:

P. H. RiOHARD'S.

TRAVELING GRATE FURNACE;

' Patented Oct. 16, 1894 3 Sheets-8heet 2.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

I. ERICHARDS. TRAVELING GRATE mamas. l

, UNITED STATES PATENT ()F-FICE.

FRANCIS II. RICHARDS, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR. TO ECKLEY B.COXE, OF DRIFTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

TRAVELING-GRATE FURNACE.

PECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 527,452, dated October16, 1894.

Application filed duly 14, 1894. Serial No. 517,552. (Nomodeld To allwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANCIS H. RICHARDS, a citizen of the UnitedStates,residing at Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State 1 5 ofConnecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inTraveling-Grate Furnaces, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to traveling-grate [O furnaces, and has specialreference to that class of furnaces in which an endless traveling grateor traveling furnace-floor is employed for supporting and impartinga'continuous traveling movement to the fuel, and means are employed forsupplying air to the fuel during its traveling movement at varyingpressures at successive points in its course of travel.

In furnacesof this class as heretofore organized, it has been customaryto provide a series of successive air-blast chambers intermediate to theupper and lower runs of the traveling grate, and to provide means forsupplying air to the successive chambers 2 5 at varying pressures, asdescribed, for instance, in Letters Patent of the United States, No.499,716, granted to Eckley B. Coxe, June 20, 1893, to which referencemay be had.

i The object of my present invention is to provide, in connection with afurnace of this class, an endless traveling furnace-floor or gratecomprising a series of transversely-disposed fioor-sections or beamseach having a series of air-spaces or air-supply openings;

5 also to provide an air supply chamber having 'an outlet contingous toseveral of said sections, and to provide, in connection with thefloor-sections comprising the furnacefloor or grate, slide-valves orgates having 0 air-spaces or openings therein adapted for registeringwith the air-spaces or openings of the floor-sections; also to providemeans for automatically shifting the slide-valves or gates of thefloor-sections for independently 5 regulating the effective area of theopenings through each section during the traveling movement of thefurnace-floor, to increase or decrease the supply of air to the fuel atsuccessive points in thetraveling movement bustion.

thereof as required to properly regulate com In the drawingsaccompanyingand forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is asectional plan view of a furnace embodying my present improvements,parts thereof being 55. broken away to more clearly illustrate theconstruction and arrangement of certain details thereof. Fig. 2 isasectional sideelevatiou of said furnace, a portion of the travelingfur: mace-floor being shown in end elevation, while other portionsthereof are shown in longitudinal section. Fig. 3 is a verticalcross-section of the furnace, taken in line a -a, Fig. 2, looking towardthe left hand in said figure; and Figs. 4, 5, and" 6 are cross:sectional views of a portion of one side of the furnace, on an enlargedscale, illustrating the operation of one ofthe regulating-valves inconnection with one of the floor-sections, said figures showing threesuccessive posi- 7o tions of said valve with relation to thefloorsectiomwhich positions are assumed by said valve at successivepoints in the traveling movement of the grate. Fig. 7 isa diagrainmaticview of the two valve-operating camtracks, showing their relativerelation to a straight line coinciding with the line of travel of thefurnace-floor.

Similar characters designate like parts in all the figures. a

. The framework for carrying the operative parts of the furnacemechanism and also for protectingsaid mechanism and preventing theefflux of the air-blast, isshown having the usual inclosing walls at thesides and ends thereof, whichf'may be. of the construction shownanddescribed in the Patent No. 499,716 hereinbefore referred to. Theside-walls are designated in a general way by 2 and 4, respectively, andthe furnace-chamber, desigo nated by C, is shown covered by areverberatory arch or roof, A, at the rear end of which the boiler (ifone is used) will be'located. A portion only of the rear endof thefurnace is shown. The frontand backwalls are desig- 5 nated by 6 and 6',respectively, and the usual bridge wall is designated by 7. At the for-The furnace is shown provided with an endless traveling furnace-floor,or grate, designated in a general way by G, the upper run of whichconstitutes the fuel-supporting run. This furnace-floor is shownsupported on and driven by chain-wheels, 12 and 14, at opposite endsofthe furnace-chambeniwhich wheels are carried by shafts, 13 and 15,respectively, supported in any suitable bearings carried by theframework of the furnace structure.

As a means for imparting a traveling movement to the furnace-floor, theshaft 13 is shown provided at one end thereof with a wormwheel,40,.which meshes with a worm,41, carried by a driving-shaft, 42,supported in bearings, l3 and 43', which shaft is provided with apulley, 44, by means of which the same may berotated by means of a belt(not shown) driven from any suitable source of power.

In the preferred form thereof herein shown, the traveling furnace-floorconsists of a series oftransversely-disposed' floor-sections, designatedin a general way by g, pivotally-connected together as at 8' to form,practically, an endless chain or chain-grate, which is carried,as beforestated, by the forward and rearward chain-wheels 12 and 14,respectively; theupper and lower runs, and 11, respect ively,of thefurnace-floor or grate being herein shown supported upon rollers, and20,respectively, which rollers are preferably carried upontransverse'shafts, 21 and 21', supported for rotation in hearings orsockets, 22 and 22', herein shown formed upon the two plates 23 and 23',which will preferably constitute the inner faces of the side-walls ofthe furnace-chamber.

Each floor-section of the series of floorsections, which comprise thefurnace-floor is herein shown consisting of two parts, or membersconnected together preferably for sliding movement the one relativelyto' the other,one of which parts constitutes the main body-portion, or,as it will be hereinafter termed, the floor-beam, 25, and the other ofwhich constitutesavalve,26. The floorbeam 25, which is of oblongconstruction and supported transversely of the furnace-chamber, is shownhavinga series of air-supply openings, 25', therethrough, through whichair may be admitted to the fuel supported upon said floor-beamg and theslide-valve 26 hasa series of air-supply openings, 26,,therethrough, inposition and adapted for registering with theopenings in they beam 25..The floor-beam is shown having two side-walls and a fuel-supportingwall, and the slide valve is shown supported for slidingmovement'between the two side-walls of the floorbeamin close proximityto the fuel-supporting wallof said beam, and is of'a, lengthapproximatelyequal to thelength of. said beam. At

opposite ends of the slide-valve are frictionrollers, 27 and 27respectively, which, at the upper run of the fuel-carrying floor, bearagainst oppositely-inclined valve-operating tracks, or cams 28 and 28,respectively, preferably formed integral with the two sideplates 23 and23, as most clearly illustrated in Figs. 1, 3, 4:, 5 and 6 of thedrawings. The working-faces of these cams will, in practice, be parallelto each other and will be of such inclination at different portionsthereof and will bear such relation to a straight line coinciding withthe line of travel of the furnace' floor as to cause a variation in theposition of the slide-valves with relation to the floorbeams atdifferent points in the length of the furnace-chamber during thetraveling movement of the furnace-floor, to thereby increase theeffective areas of' the air-supply openings of someof the floor-beamsand'decrease in proper proportions the efiective areas of the air-spacesof others of said floor-beams, thus.

regulatingthe' effective supply of air. to the fuel supported upon thefloor at successive points as required in the traveling movementthereof. In the drawings each floor-section is shown independentlycarried at its opposite ends by links, one at each end, of an endlesschain somewhat after the manner of chain-grates heretofore made.

Asa means for supplying air to the fuel supported upon the upper run ofthe furnacefioor, I have provided an air-chamber, J, which is locatedbelow the upper run of said floor and has an open end contiguous to saidupper run, said chamber having its walls preferably constructed ofsheet-metal bent to proper form and secured in any suitable manner tothe side-plates 23 and 23', said chamber being most clearly shown inFigs. 2 and3 of the drawings. This chamber is suppliedwith air from anair-supply pipe, J, which, in turn, may be supplied by a blower, orair-pump, (not shown,) in the usual manner Inpractice, an air-pressurewill be maintained in the air-supply chamber J somewhat in excess of themaximum pressure required for the fuel at any given point in the lengthof the furnace-chamber, and this pressure is regulated at successivepoints in the length of the fuel-carrying run of the furnace-floor byincreasing or decreasing the effective areas of the air-supply openingsthrough the floor-sections, permitting thereby of greater or lesservolumes of air to pass through said ICC IIO

air-supply openings, and consequently varysuccessive fuel supportinggrate sections,

each of which has a series of air-spaces or out1et-openings, a valveconnected with each grate-section in position for closing the airspaces,means for supplying air to the fuel supported upon said grate-sections,means for imparting a traveling movement to the grate, and means foroperating the successive valves of the grate-sections during the travcling movement thereof to open or close the air-spaces of each sectionand bring them to predetermined areas at given points in the travel ofthe grate, substahtially as described and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a furnace of the class specified, the combinationwith the furnace-chamber and its inclosing walls, of a traveling furnacefloorhaving air-supply openings therein and carrying valves contiguous to andadapted I for varying the eifective areas of said openings, means forsupplying air to said open-,

ings, means for imparting a traveling movement to the furnace-floor, andmeans in position and adaptedfor operating the valves during thetraveling movement of the furnace-floor to bring the outlet-openings ofsaid furnace-floor to predetermined areas at given points in the travelthereof, substantially as described.

4. In a furnace of the class specified, an endless travelingfurnace-floor comprising a multiplicity of perforated floor-sectionsconnected together to form substantially an endless chain-grate,slide-valves carried by said floor-sections and having perforationsadapted for registering with the perforations of said floor-sections,and means for automatically imparting a sliding movement to said valves,substantially as described and for the purpose set forth.

5. In a furnace of the class specified, the combination with thefurnace-chamber and its inclosing walls, of a perforated endlesstraveling furnace-floor carrying valves con-.

tiguous to the perforations thereof, means for imparting a travelingmovement to said furnace-floor, and fixed cams or inclines for operatingsaid valves during the traveling movement of the furnace-floorto bringthe perforations to predetermined areas at given points in the travel ofsaid furnace-floor, substantially as described.

6. In a furnace of the class specified, the combination with thefurnace-chamber and its inclosing walls, of a traveling furnace-floorcomprising a series of transversely-disposed connected floor-sectionshaving air-supply openings therethrough, a valve carried by each of saidsections in position for closing the openings therethrough, means forimparting a traveling movement to thefurnace-fioor, and fixed camsadjacent to and adapted for operating the several valves of theseveralfloor-sections dnrin g the traveling movement of the furnace-floor tobring the air-supply openings in said sections to predetermined areas atgiven points in the travel of the fur race-floor, substantially asdescribed.

7. In a furnace of theclass specified, the combination with thefurnace-chamber and its inclosing Walls, of an endless travelingfurnace-floor supported at opposite ends of said chamber upon rollersand comprising a series of transversely-disposed floor-sections havingeach a series of air-supply openings, means for imparting a travelingmovement to the furnace-floor, a slide-valve carried by each of saidsections and having rollers at opposite ends thereof, a fixed camadjacent to each end of said sections in position to be engaged by therollers of the valves and adapted during the traveling movement of thefurnacefioor to slide said valves longitudinally of their respectivesections to increase or decrease the area of the air-supply openings atpredetermined points in the travel of the furnace-floor, substantiallyas described and for the purpose set forth.

8. In a furnace of the class specified, the combination with thefurnace-chamber and its inclosing walls, of an endless fuel-supportingtraveling furnace-floor having air-supply openings therein and carryingvalves contiguous to and adapted for varying the areas of saidsupply-openings, means for imparting a traveling movement to saidfurnace-floor, and means for automatically operating said valves duringthe traveling movement of said furnace-floor to bring the airsnpplyopenings to predetermined areas at given points in the travel of saidfurnace-floor, substantially as described.

9. In a furnace of the class specified, the

combination with the furnace-chamber and its inclosing Walls, of anendless traveling furnace-floor carried upon rollers substantially asdescribed, and having air-supply openings therein, and carrying valvesin position and adapted for varying the efiective areas of saidopenings, an air-supply chamber located intermediate to the upper andlower runs of said furnace-floor and having an open end contiguous totheair-supply openings, means forsupplying air to said air-chamber at themaximum pressure required, means for imparting a traveling move ment tothe furnace-floor, and means for antomatically operating said valvesduring the traveling movement of the furnace-floor to vary the areas ofthe air-supply openings at predetermined points in the travel of saidfurnace-floor to thereby reduce the effective air-supply at certainpoints in the length of the furnace-chamber, substantially as described.I

10. In a furnace of the class specified, the

combination with the furnace-chamber and areas of said openings, anair-supply chan1- 1 her located intermediate to the upper and lower runsof said furnace-floor and having an open end contiguous to the airsupply openings, means for supplying air to said chamber at the maximumpressure required,

supported upon said furnace-floor at the'req-.

uisite points in the length of the furnacechamber, substantially asdescribed.

11, In a furnace of the class specified, the combination with thefurnace-chamber and its inclosing walls, of a perforated endlesstraveling furnace-floor carrying valves contiguous to the perforationsthereof, means for imparting a traveling movement to said furnace-floor,two fixed oppositely-disposed cams located one at each side of thefurnacefioor in the path of travel of the valves and havingoppositely-inclined tracks adapted for automatically changing thepositions of the valves relatively to the perforations of thefurnace-floor to increase or decrease the elfective areas of theperforations at predetermined points in the travel of said f urnacefioor, substantially as described.

12. In a furnace of the class specifie d, the combination with thefurnace-chamber and its inclosing walls, of two side-plates located oneat each sideof the furnace-chamber, and having inwardly-projectingoppositely-disposed valve-operating tracks, a perforated endlesstraveling furnace-floor carried upon rollers at opposite ends of thefurnace-chamber and having the upper and lower runs thereof supported byrollers carried upon shafts supported in hearings or sockets formed inthe side-plates, valves carried by said furnace-floor contiguous to andadapted for closing said perforations and carrying rollers at oppositeends thereof in position for engagement with the valve-operating tracks,means for supplying air below the upper run of the furnace-floor, andmeans for imparting a traveling movement to said furnacefloor,substantially as described and for the purpose set forth.

13. In a furnace of the class specified, the combination with thefurnace-chamber and its inclosing walls, of a traveling'furnace-fioorcomprising a series of connected floor-sections or transversely-disposedfloor-beams each having two side-walls and a perforated fuel-supportingwall, a sliding valve located between the side-walls of eachfloor-section contiguous to the perforated fuel-supporting wall, meansfor imparting a traveling movement to said furnace-floor, means forsupply ing air below the valves of said furnace-floor, andvalve-actuating cams adjacent to each end of and adapted for operatingsaid valves 14:. In a furnace of the class specified, the V combinationwith the furnace-chamber and its inclosing walls, of valve-operatingtracks fixed at opposite sides of said furnace-chamber, and a perforatedfurnace-floor supported for traveling movement between said tracks andhaving slide-valves in bearing engagement with said tracks,substantially as described.

15. In a furnace of the class specified, the combination with thefurnace-chamber and its inclosin g walls, of two oppositely-disposedvalve-operating tracks having inclined adjacent faces in parallel lines,a traveling furnace-floor located between said tracks and comprising aseries of transversely-disposed floor-sections having air-supplyopenings, slide-valves carried by saidsections contiguous to saidsupply-openings and having rollers at opposite ends thereof inbearing-contact with the valve -operating tracks, and means forimparting a traveling movement to said furnace -floor whereby thevalves, through the medium of the tracks, are operated to vary the areasof the air-supply openings of successive sections to vary the-effectiveair-supply to the fuel carried by said furnace-floor, at successivepoints in the travel thereof, substantially as described.

16. In a furnace of the class specified, a

traveling furnace-floor having air-supply openings therein, incombination with oppositely-inclined valve-operating cam-tracks 10- Acated one at each side of said furnace-floor in a plane corresponding tothe plane of travel thereof, valves in sliding engagement with saidfurnace-floor and located between, and in bearing-contact at oppositeends with, the said cam-tracks, an air-blast apparatus located below,andin communication with, said f urnace-floor, and means for imparting atraveling movement to said furnace-floor and, through the medium of thecam-tracks, to simultaneously operate successive valves in varyingdegrees to bring the air-supply openings of the furnace-floor to varyingareas at predetermined points in the travel thereof, substantially asdescribed.

17. In a furnace of the class specified, the combination with thefurnace-chamber and its side-walls, of two opposite horizontallydisposedvalve-operating tracks secured one to each side-wall of the furnace andhaving IIO oppositely-inclined working-faces, a perfo ratedfurnace-floor supported for traveling parting a traveling movement tothe fu rn'acefloor and at the same time imparting a sliding movement tosaid valves, substantially as described and for the purpose set forth.

18. In a furnace of the class specified, the combination with thefurnace-chamber and its inclosing walls, of a traveling furnacefioorcomprising a series of floor-sections each section consisting of twolongitudinally-disposed perforated members connected together forsliding movement one relatively to the other, means for imparting atraveling movement to said furnace-floor, and means for automaticallyimparting a sliding movement to one member of each floor-sectionrelatively to the other member of each floorsection, substantially asdescribed.

19. In a furnace of the class specified, a traveling furnace-floormechanism comprising a series of connected floor-sections, each sectionof which consists of two members connected together for sliding movementone relatively to the other and each having airsupply openings adaptedfor registering one with the other, means for imparting atravelin gmovement to said furnace-floor, and cams in position and adapted forimpartingasliding movement to one member of each floorsection relativelyto the other member thereof, substantially as described.

20. In a furnace of the class specified, the

traveling movement to said sections simnltaneously, substantially asdescribed and for the purpose set forth.

21. In a traveling furnace-floor, a series of perforated floor-sectionshaving openings in the ends thereof and each havinga perforatedslide-valve adjacent to the perforations of said floor-section, the endsof which slidevalve extend through said end-openings of thefloor-section and bear against the valveoperating inclines or cams, andthe inclines or cams for operating said valves, substantially asdescribed.

FRANCIS II. RICHARDS.

Witnesses:

FRED. J. DOLE, EMMA G. FOWLER.

